Mail-assorting table.



No; 848,466. I PATENIED MAR. 26, 1907.

0. A. KENDALL.

MAIL ASSORTING TABLE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 24. 1906.

Snow tom Charlesfl. Kendall marrow,

ms NORRIS PETERS :04, WASHINGTON, D c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES A. KENDALL, OF CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGN OR OF ON E- HALF TO HORACE MERRILL, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

lVIAlL-ASSORTING TABLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 26, 1907.

To all whom. it iii/my concern.-

Be it, known that 1, CHARLES A. KENDALL, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Concord, in the county of Merrimack and State of New Hampshire, have invented new and useful Im rovements in Mail-Assorting Tables, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mail-assorting tables; and one of the principal objects of the same is to provide a table which can be adjusted for use upon one side or the other of a standard designed to be secured centrally to a mail-car or to be held in position out of the way when not required for use.

Another'object of the invention is to provide means for holding the table firmly in adjusted position and to prevent the adjusting means from injury when the table is suddenly dropped at any of its adjusted positions.

These and other objects may be attained by means of the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of an adjustable table made in accordance with my invention and showing in dotted lines the table thrown into a vertical position to be out of the way and in reversed horizontal position. Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view on the line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail section onthe line 3 3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an edge elevation of the standard shown broken away.

Referring to the drawings for a more particular description of my invention, the numeral 1 designates a standard provided with a base-flange 2, bolted to the floor of a mailcar by me ans of bolts 3, which pass through the floor 4, through beams 5, and a central bolt 6, which passes through the flange 2, the floor 4, and through an anchor-bar 7, located be low the beams 5. Pivotally connected at 8 to the upper portion of the standard 1 is a table 9, said table being provided with a central platform 10 for receiving mail-matter and a surrounding flange 11 upon opposite sides of said platform 10. Atffone'side of the table 9 a guideway 12 is secured by screws 13, said guideway comprising a back portion 14, set into a recess 15 in the side of the table and provided with inwardly-extending lugs 16, as shown more particularly in Fig. 3. A sliding plate 17, provided with rollers 18, mounted upon studs 19, passing through the plate 17 is mounted at the side of the guideway 12. The rollers 18 are provided with a reduced portion 20, designed to bear against the flanges 16 of the guideway. The plate 17 has secured to it centrally a threaded stud 21, and formed on said stud is a flange 22, disposed at the side of the plate 17. Extending outward from the flange 22 is a shank 22 pivoted to the standard 1 and provided with a head 8 outside said standard.

' A rod 23 is pivotedto a stud 24, projecting outward from a plate 24*, secured to the side of the table 9, the lower end of said rod being pivoted at 25 to the standard 1. The lower end of the rod 23 is formed into a sector 26, provided with a series of notches 27, designed to be engaged by the toe 28 of a foot-lever 29. Said foot-lever is provided with a pedal 30 to be engaged by the foot of the operator for moving the toe 28 out of engagement with the notches 27 to permit the table to be swung from one side to the other of the standard 1 or to be held ina vertical position out of the way. A spring 31 surrounds the shank of the foot-lever 29 and exerts its stress to move the toe 28 into engagement with the notches 27 when the pedal 30 is released by the foot of the operator.

From the foregoing it will be obvious that the table 9 may be swung quickly from one position to another, the rollers 18 movin in the guideway 12 and the rod 23 being quidkly locked in any of the positions to which the table is adjusted, and should the table be dropped suddenly from one position to the other the shock or jar would be sustained by the rod 23 and would not be liable to injure any of the parts.

Having thus described the invention, what I Claim Peseta- 1 1. A table of the character described oomprising a standard, a table-top, a guideway secured to one side of said tabletop, a plate pivoted to said standard and carrying rollers mounted in said guideway, a plate secured to the side of the table-top, a brace-rod pivoted at one end to said plate and pivoted at its opposite end to said standard, a sector formed on said brace-rod, and a foot-lever for engaging notches in said sector for holding the table in adjusted position.

2. A table of the character described comprisingi'a standard, a table, a guideway upon said table, a plate pivoted to said standard and provided with rollers mounted to move in said guideway, a brace-rod, a plate secured to the table, said brace-rod being pivoted to said plate at one end and having its opposite end pivoted to said standard, and means for holding the table in adjusted position.

3. In a table of the character described, the combination of a standard, a table-top, a plate pivoted to said standard and connected to said table-top, and means for holding said table-top in adjusted positions, said means comprising a guideway on the table-top, a

plate provided with rollers mounted in said guideway, a plate secured at the side of said. table-top, a brace-bar pivotally connected 15 to said plate and pivoted to said standard, and a foot-lever for holding said brace-rod in adjusted position, substantially as described. In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES A. KENDALL. Witnesses:

HENRY W. STEVENS, EDWARD G. LEAOH. 

